Of National Churches, Chapter 1
Chap. I. What a National Church is.
§ 1. A National Church and a Chriſtian Kingdom conſtituted of a Chriſtian Soveraign Magiſtrate, and of Chriſtian Subjects worſhiping God (ordinarily) in true Particular Paſtoral Churches,) is the ſame thing.
§ 2. The ignorance of this hath confounded the Chriſtian World, by two extreams.
On one ſide a double miſchief hath been by this ignorance introduced. Firſt, That of Popery, which firſt prophaneth the Sacred Office of Kings and Magiſtrates, feigning them to be but a ſort of ſecular Animals, that have the care only of mens Bodies and trading and worldly Affairs, and not of Souls, or of mens everlaſting Safety; as if this belonged only to Prieſts; whereby they make Kings to be as much baſer than Prieſts, as the Body is viler than the Soul, and teach the Subjects accordingly to diſhonour and contemn them.
2. And while they confine Princes to the bounds of their own Dominions, they pretend that the whole World muſt have one Church Soveraign, either Monarchical, Ariſtocratical, or mixt; which yet Humane Nature is utterly uncapable of; ſo that truly Popery is founded on the degrading of Princes and States, and overthrowing true National Church-bounds, to ſet up an abſurdly pretended Univerſal Soveraignty inſtead of it, under Sacerdotal Heads.
§ 3. And this miſtake hath corrupted the late Innovating Prelatiſts, that would be called the Church of England; who have learnt of the Papiſts to appropriate the name of the Church, or at leaſt Church-Government, to the Clergy; and ſo think that a National Church muſt be unified and conſtituted by a National Sacerdotal Head, either ſingle or collective: And that a Prince is not ſacred enough to be a National Church Head. That this novel Opinion is contrary to the Laws, and the ſenſe of Lawyers, and the Doctrine of the Church of England, and the very Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy, is ſo well known, as forbids me to loſe any time in proving it.
It's true, that Queen Elizabeth, and our Kings and Doctors have juſtly appropriated the Power of the Word, Sacraments, and the Keys of Admiſſion to Chriſtian Communion, and of Excommunication and Abſolution, to the Paſtoral Office, and have proved that Chriſt did himſelf inſtitute that Office, and not leave it to the will or power of Princes to inſtitute, abrogate or alter it: But it is as true, that Princes are the Governours of thoſe Paſtors, and may puniſh them for Male-adminiſtration, and diſpoſe of the things circaſacra undetermined by Chriſt.
§ 4. By this miſchievous Errour alſo the Clergy have been drawn to tempt Kings and Magiſtrates to think that they are but Civil Officers, and have not much need to be very ſtudious to underſtand the Scriptures, but muſt leave that to Biſhops and Prieſts, and take it on their words: By which they have been perverted and let looſe to ungodlineſs and debauchery, waſting that time in Luxury, and Sports, and Idleneſs, which ſhould have been ſpent in ſtudying of the Word of God; and govern by erroneous ungodly Laws, becauſe they know not the Law of the Lord: Whereas God hath commanded Kings and Rulers to ſtudy his Law diligently, and keep it alwaies before their eyes and on their hearts, and to govern according to it, and make it the chief work of their Office to promote the obedience of it.
§ 5. Moſes was more the Mediator between God, as Legiſlator, and the People than Aaron was, and was better acquainted with the Law, and the meaning of it, than Aaron was: It was he that is called King in Jeſurun: And God inſtituted a Prophetical Succeſſion of ſuch, which the Iſraelites ſinned in changing for Kings: A Prophet ſhall the Lord your God raiſe up to you like to me, him ſhall you hear] tho' it meant Chriſt remotely and eminently, it meant his Succeſſors proximately. Joſhua was commanded the ſtudy of God's Law: And David and Solomon are undeniable Inſtances to prove that Kings were by God appointed to be more wiſe and holy perſons than the Prieſts. And indeed if Kings be not better skill'd in God's Word than moſt of the Popiſh Prieſts are, no wonder if they be the Subjects of Prieſts, and be lightly eſteemed as unmeet to Govern; eſpecially if Mr. Dodwell's Doctrine were true, that [the Eſſential work of the Miniſtry, according to my Principles is to tranſact between God and Man; to ſeal Covenants on behalf of God, and to accept of thoſe which are made by Men; and to oblige them to perform their part of the Covenant by otherwiſe authoritatively excluding them from God's part. Hence reſults the whole Power of Eccleſiaſtical Government: And for this no great gifts and abilities are eſſential. All the skill that is requiſite eſſentially, is only in general to know the benefits to be performed on God's part, and the duties to be performed on Man's, and the Nature and Obligation of Covenants in general, and the particular Solemnities of Eccleſiaſtical Covenants. And of this how any man can be uncapable, who is but capable of underſtanding the common dealings of the World, &c. ]
If it be much more knowledge than this that is commanded to Kings and Rulers, then are they the more ſacred perſons, and fitter to be Heads of a National Church, than ſuch Prieſts are.
§ 6. Biſhops or Paſtors may be the conſtitutive Heads of Particular Churches, and yet not of National, nor therefore ceaſe as ſuch to be under the Government of Chriſtian Princes; nor Princes thereby be made Prieſts. A School-Maſter, a Colledge-Maſter, an Hoſpital-Governour, a Philoſopher, may be the Head of his particular Society, and yet under a Prince that is not of his Art. The King is no Phyſicion, and yet Ruleth Phyſicions, not as a chief Phyſicion, but by the General Government of a King.
The Maſters of Sciences and Arts (as ſuch) govern none but Volunteers, and therefore not by the Sword: It's Princes that do that.
§ 7. Though Moſes Law, as ſuch, bind not us, nor any, further than Chriſt hath put it into his Law, and many things in their Policy, are unſuitable to our times and places, and more in their way of Worſhip; yet the true nature of ſuch a National Church as Chriſt did inſtitute, muſt be known by knowing what the Jews Church was as National, and how far Chriſt would have continued that form of Government, and what change it was that he was for.
§ 8. 1. Chriſt would not have the Jewiſh Nation to retain their peculiarity as diſtinct from the Catholick Church, for he came to call the Gentile World.
2. He intended not to make Jeruſalem the Seat of a Regent Church over the reſt of the World, as it then was over the Jews; for he knew that it was to be deſtroyed.
3. He intended not to ſettle one High Prieſt over the whole Catholick Church, nor over the National Church: For defacto he did it not; and he knew that the High Prieſt did typifie himſelf only.
4. He intended not to continue the Law of Moſes as ſuch; nor its Ceremonious Worſhip; but only ſo much of it as was of the Law of Nature common to others; and ſo much of the Policy as by parity of caſes and reaſon, is ſuited to others as well as to the Jews.
§ 9. But 1. He offered to be King over them as a holy National Kingdom-Church.
2. He accordingly appointed the number of Twelve and Seventy under him, as related to the Twelve Tribes, and to their great Council.
3. He ſent theſe firſt to work upon them by Doctrine and Perſwaſion, his Kingdom being a Government of Love, Mercy and Free Grace, that would have none but Volunteers.
4. He gave them Laws by which he would govern them, with promiſes of Reward, and threats of Penalty.
5. He extended this offered State and Priviledge to them and their Children.
6. He intended to ſet up his Government in Power by Chriſtian Princes, as ſoon as his Word and Providence had ripened the Church for it.
§ 10. I ſhall prove all this in the next Chapter, when I have told you firſt, that as the Papal Party hath been ſet up in their Uſurpation (Univerſal and National) for want of underſtanding Chriſt's Inſtitution of Kingdom-Churches; ſo the ſeparating and dividing part of the Nonconformiſts have by this overſight, run into many hurtful Errours, and unpeaceable and unjuſtifiable ways.
1. How much the very name of a National Church is diſtaſted by very many zealous perſons through meer ignorance, is too commonly known.
2. And in Independents, and too many Presbyterians, the cuſtom prevaileth, of calling the exerciſe of Paſtoral Diſcipline, by the name of the Kingly Government of Chriſt, as diſtinct not only from his Prophetical and Prieſtly Office, but alſo from his Government by Magiſtrates: As if Chriſt governed not as King, as much and more eminently by Princes as by Prieſts, or Paſtors.
3. And if a man ſpeaketh but what Scripture ſpeaketh for Chriſt's Government of the Churches by Magiſtrates, they call him an Eraſtian: Whereas the Errour of Eraſtus (an excellent Proteſtant Phyſicion) was not his being for the Government of Princes, but his taking down the Power of the Keys too much, which was the Office of Paſtors, and making Church-Communion over-common, and too much denying Excommunication: (Of which I have written a peculiar Treatiſe to Dr. Ludov. Molinaeus, ſhewing the true difference between the Power of Magiſtrates and Paſtors.)
4. And hence great diſorder hath ariſen from the undervaluing of the Confederacy of all particular Churches in the ſame Kingdom; and from a diſobedience to the lawful determinations of Princes in Church Affairs, and even from the cauſleſs ſingularity of every humorous Sect, as ſlighting the Concord of the Confederate Churches; what abundance of Schiſms had it prevented (with their diſmal Effects) if men had but retained. a due Reverence to Church Confederacies and Concord, and to the Chriſtian Magiſtrates Power? which cauſed the Presbyterians in Scotland and Ireland, ſo marvelouſly to keep up Concord, and keep out Sects, though they were againſt Dioceſans, becauſe they maintained National Church Confederacy.
§ 11. It may perhaps be uſeful to others that I here confeſs my own Ignorance and Errour, that I once thought that the Scots way of a National Church Confederacy and General Aſſemblies, was but a ſadling the Horſe for Papal Uſurpation to ride upon: For I conſidered not that National Churches truly ſtated were Chriſt's Inſtitution, and the principal way to keep out Popery.
§ 12. And whereas in my Defences againſt Dr. Stillingſleet and Dr. Sherlock, I called the Chriſtian Magiſtrate an Accidental Head, and urged them hard to name the Eſſential National Church-Head; I ſpake on ſuppoſition of their Opinion which I oppoſed, that Biſhops only were ſuch Eſſential Heads, from whom A National Church muſt be unified and ſpecified: But I ſtill profeſſed to own a National Church as a Chriſtian Kingdom, containing Confederate Paſtoral Churches: And of this the Soveraign Power is the Eſſentiating Head.
§ 13. The names of diſtinction of Civil and Eccleſiaſtical as differencing the Office of the Chriſtian Magiſtrates and Paſtors, may be uſed as well underſtood; but is too Popiſh, and uſed by Papiſts and ſome others, to obſcure and debaſe Chriſt's Government by Magiſtrates, as if they were only for ſecular uſes: Whereas indeed in a Church as National the Prince is the chief Eccleſiaſtical Officer of Chriſt. And the true differencing terms are fetcht, not from the ſubject matter, ſo much as from the Mode of Government, one being forcible by the Sword, and the other only on Conſcience by the Word, doctrinally opened, and perſonally applied by the Keys. And Ruling is called Civil, becauſe it is the Regiment over Cives quâ tales, ſo it is Eccleſiaſtical as it is over Cives quâ Chriſtianos, and over particular Churches and Paſtors; and for Souls more than for Bodies, and worldly Eſtates.
§ 14. A National Church containeth not all that dwell in the Land, but all that are Burgeſſes or Free-men in Church reſpects. All be not Citizens that dwell in the City; but they that are Deniſons, and have City-Rights and Priviledges. As Chriſt is Head over all things, To his Church, Eph. 1. 23. ſo a Chriſtian King is Head over his inhabiting Enemies and Aliens, and Head to all Civil Deniſons as he is a King; and Head to all Chriſtian Church Deniſons as he is a Chriſtian King.
§ 15. In what caſes Subjects may be Civil Deniſons that are not Chriſtian Deniſons, or Church Members, requireth ſo many words and cautions to open, that I omit the deciſion of it: But were a Chriſtian Kingdom ſuch as it ought to be, none ſhould be a Civil Burgeſs with any Truſt belonging to Government, but ſuch as are Baptized or profeſſed Chriſtians, and are communicating Members in ſome Churches or Aſſemblies allowed or tolerated, or that ought to be tolerated. For a Kingdom and Church as formally Chriſtian, ſhould be Ruled by none but Viſible Chriſtians.
This is true both of Magiſtrates, Paſtors, and the chuſers of of them. But none ſhould for this be forced or drawn to profeſs Chriſtianity, or communicate againſt their wills, it being a priviledge that none have right to but thoſe that earneſtly deſired it: Nor did the Antient Churches grant it to any other: Nor would ſo much as receive Oblations for maintenance of Miniſters from others.